Recipes

These not-too-sweet mini desserts combine the flavors of peanut butter cups and chocolate cake. Quinoa flour adds protein and makes these gluten-free, but feel free to substitute white whole-wheat flour instead.

Garri is made from dried, fermented cassava, a tuber native to South America and introduced to Africa by Portuguese traders from Brazil in the 16th century. San Francisco chef Simileoluwa Adebajo says her family, like many in Nigeria, often eat garri mixed with ground nuts, sugar and milk, like a cereal. These subtly sweet cookies are crisp and delicious.

This natural cookie icing recipe is quick and uses natural dyes to create vibrant colors for decorating cookies. The basic icing recipe makes natural white icing and has substantially less sugar than traditional cookie icing recipes. For creating colored cookie icings, try thawed juice concentrates: cranberry for pink, orange for pale orange or Concord grape for pastel purple.

Magical aquafaba—the liquid from canned chickpeas that often gets poured down the drain—mimics egg whites in these airy vegan meringue cookies. The other magical thing? These cookies require just three ingredients! Save the chickpeas themselves for hummus, stew or any one of our other recipes that call for canned chickpeas.

Slice-and-bake icebox cookies are the ultimate make-ahead treat. You can make a batch and bake as many as you like, saving the rest of the dough in the freezer. These simple swirled cookies are rolled in finely chopped pecans. They're mildly sweet—perfect for after dinner or paired with coffee.

Mix Greek yogurt with sweet jam and crunchy pistachios and freeze so you can break into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.

These lemon cookies are made healthier with whole-wheat pastry flour and they get their zippy flavor from fresh lemon zest and juice rather than lemon extract. This lemon cookie recipe would be the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.

Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike.

These cardamom-spiced shortbread cookies were inspired by the Indian sweet kaju katli.

The key to these decadent treats is the portion size--baking them in mini-muffin tins keeps the carbs and saturated fat in check. And maple syrup allows you to make this pecan pie recipe without corn syrup.

This makeover recipe was one of the favorites chosen for our 30th anniversary issue. Tahini gives this cookie a subtle sesame flavor.

These crispy cookies are made with Piedmontese staples--hazelnuts and eggs--and called Brutti Ma Buoni: literally, “Ugly But Good.” But they are really more plain-looking than “ugly,” and pack a powerful, sweet, nutty burst of flavor, making them welcome at any table.

All you need are four simple ingredients to make healthier coconutty peanut butter balls that kids and grownups will love. Make this easy recipe for a bite-size treat, on-the-go snack or easy homemade gift. You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free snack for school.

These healthy apple cookies made with oats, shredded apples and brown sugar make snack time enjoyable for everybody.

The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter--and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie--fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

This irresistible diabetic-friendly peanut butter cookie recipe contains no flour. For Christmas or special occasions, imprint them with cookie cutters to fit the season instead of the star-shaped cutter.